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Reclaiming Our Democracy Updates

Today the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in McCutcheon v. FEC to strike down overall, or aggregate, contribution limits to candidates and political committees. U.S. PIRG research found that this ruling could bring $1 billion in additional campaign contributions from fewer than 2,800 elite donors through the 2020 election cycle.

In the wake of the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision, the rules governing nonprofits' participation in political campaigns are more important than ever. We applaud the IRS's decision to address this problem head on, yet the initial proposal made by IRS missed the mark, and could cause real harm to the work of legitimate nonprofit organizations. We hope our comments to the IRS will encourage it to continue its important work to prevent abuse of the tax-exempt system by political operatives, while making improvements in the next round of drafting to encourage appropriate public engagement by nonprofits.

Washington, DC – U.S. PIRG proudly endorses the Government By the People Act, legislation introduced today in the U.S. House of Representatives that would put ordinary Americans back in charge of our elections.

In tonight’s State of the Union address, President Obama discussed the importance of strengthening American democracy both by amplifying the voices of ordinary citizens and by improving voter systems to increase participation.

On the eve of the fourth anniversary of the Supreme Court’s ruling in Citizens United v. FEC, eight pro-democracy groups are speaking out about the need to amend the Constitution to overturn that decision and protect the integrity of our political system.

On October 8, as the Supreme Court debated lifting the aggregate limit on campaign contributions, a growing democracy movement was out in full force in front of the Court and in cities across the country.

As the Supreme Court prepares to hear oral arguments in McCutcheon v. FEC, U.S. PIRG and seven other pro-democracy groups are speaking out on the urgent need for amending the Constitution to protect the integrity of our democracy.

Advocates are celebrating a significant milestone in the campaign for a constitutional amendment to overturn the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2010 ruling in Citizens United that opened the floodgates of money from corporations and the ultra wealthy into our political system. Support for the campaign now stands at one-third of what is needed for victory.

It has been barely a month since the Supreme Court issued its controversial Voting Rights Act (VRA) ruling — yet already, in states across the country, laws are being implemented and proposed that are designed to severely limit voting access, and that will ultimately harm American democracy.